Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

[woosterken]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Joza,
Great little project
I sent you a PM
hope it helps

woosterken

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Well, the work goes on. Last night I sealed my stringers and keel... my first experience with resin. I have to tell you that my first go 'round was interesting to say the least.

I mixed up my first batch and put a bit too much hardener into it and I made a beautiful resin rock. Good lord it hardened seriously fast. It was actually kind of cool, it got hot and started to smoke and melt the cup I had it in. Ha!

So, I mixed another batch that was much more successful. Got it all brushed on my stringers and keel and they dried beautifully.

Tonight I bedded them into the hull. I checked it just a bit ago and was really surprised how much rigidity it added and the PL had only been drying for a couple of hours. I can't wait check it out in the morning.

The floor and the transom are this weekend's project, I'm looking forward to that. The other day I was reading some posts and came across one saying something to the affect that not many people in this forum like to glass, but, I think I may be the odd ball here. I really enjoyed it. But I know all too well that that could change after this weekend. Stay tuned.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

And the beat goes on my brothers and sisters. Over the weekend I dove into glassing in the stringers and I have to say that I rather enjoyed it. The person that came up with that process was a genius. Oh and I have to thank everyone that went through the aches and pains of learning it, then sharing that information with us. I would have never in a million years thought that I could do it without your help. Thank you!

The stringers and keel adhered nicely to the hull so I started glassing, one thing though, when you look at your stock pile of glass and it looks like a lot... it's not. Luckily my wife picked up some more while she was out or I would have been screwed..."Thank you honey!" At rate rate, the glassing when well, really well and I had fun doing it.

The other night my wife and I got the transom cut and fit, now we'll just have to glue it up and glass it in over the weekend after it sits for a few days to dry... the loooooong weekend I might add.

I've already got all the deck pieces cut and resin coated on the underside, once the transom has set I'll be throwing that in and glassing it as well.

I've been investigating flooring options during this whole process. At first I was wanting to put carpet in, since we would be cruising in this boat primarily, no skiing or anything like that, I thought it would be nice underfoot, but once I started reading posts here, I've changed my mind.

Someone had said they used a garage flooring roll on product so I thought I'd check that out. I found a product by Rustoleum that you can have tinted in a variety of colors at your local diy store and add bits of confetti type stuff to it. http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=145 THAT's what going to go on my deck. The samples although small at the store look really nice. I found it at a Menard's store nearby.

If we can get to the point of having the floor in and protected before the cold weather comes, I'll be ahead of the game and happy. I don't have the luxury of being able to keep that boat in my garage all winter, so it will have to go outside in the elements. It will be covered of course, but I want to have all the hard work put into thus far well protected.

My dad's been busy cleaning parts off and getting them ready to go back in, but that work only lasts so long. He's primed and ready to begin working on the seats, fitting them in and sewing them up. So I figure if we get everything ready and in front of him, that will be a good winter project and it will keep him out of my mom's hair, at least for a little while. HA!

So hopefully, I will have pictures of the transom at the very least by the weekend, if not the whole stinkin' deck! Yeah! Happy Labor Day everyone!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Looking good! Make sure you check that the Rusto garage floor coating can handle the potential flexing of wood. I'm not sure if it works mainly on concrete. I'd hate to see it end up cracking all over on you.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Looking good! Make sure you check that the Rusto garage floor coating can handle the potential flexing of wood. I'm not sure if it works mainly on concrete. I'd hate to see it end up cracking all over on you.

Ohhhhhh. Good point... thanks man!

 

[Paul eagen]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Holy crap!! Your moving fast. Good work. Just a note about the rustoleum garage floor paint. It is an epoxy paint. From what I have heard epoxy wont stick to well to polyester (depending on what you used for the deck). Also that stuff is not a non skid coating. I am using Durabak on my deck that I am going to do this winter. Just though I would give you some info.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Looking good! Make sure you check that the Rusto garage floor coating can handle the potential flexing of wood. I'm not sure if it works mainly on concrete. I'd hate to see it end up cracking all over on you.

Well, ezmobee hit it right on the head. I sent Rustoleum an email directly and asked them if the product I found could be used on a boat deck and here is what Tony the Product Support Guy said:

ANSWER:

It will bond to wood but epoxies genrally aren't the most flexible coatings. A single part acrylic, although not as durable, will have more flex to it and keep it's color longer. Something like our Porch and Floor paint might be a good option. Plan on maintaining and recoating every other year at least.

So there you have it. Back to the drawing board... or at least to the store to see what kind of colors they have. Stay tuned!

Oh, another update. Both pieces of my transom have been resin coated, I will be adhering them to the hull tonight... letting it sit for a little bit then glassing that and the in the floor. Our weather is shaping up to be perfect for glassing, not too hot during the day and not too cool at night, so I hope to get it all done by the end of the long weekend... saving some time to drink of course. Mmmm beer.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Holy crap!! Your moving fast. Good work. Just a note about the rustoleum garage floor paint. It is an epoxy paint. From what I have heard epoxy wont stick to well to polyester (depending on what you used for the deck). Also that stuff is not a non skid coating. I am using Durabak on my deck that I am going to do this winter. Just though I would give you some info.

Luckily the PO's PO had taken all the rotten wood and funk out of the boat. I pretty much just needed to do a little clean up and away I went. Once I get the floor in I'll be able to work on the sides of the inside. Someone at some point glued red and black astro turf to it. Although the turf is gone, the adhesive is still on the boat. No big deal though. A couple beers, a scraper and some elbow grease will take care of it. Thanks for the tip on the floor too by the way Paul.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Alrighty then. The deck and the transom have been put back into our little Red Fish. Over the long weekend we got the deck and transom glued in and I can't be happier with the results. It always amazes me whenever I add something to the boat how the rigidity keeps increasing. I used 2 layers of 3/4" ply for the transom and 1/2" ply for the floor. One more layer of glass to the transom and the all important drain plug installed and the transom is done.

This weekend the deck will be glassed to the hull and the insides of the sides scrapped and cleaned for painting. I cleaned off high enough to glass in the deck so once that's dry I'll be able to clean higher up.

We've been picking up things here and there, switches, lights, bilge pump the list goes on so that when we're ready to move into that phase we'll have all that we need, but that won't be until the spring.

Like I said my Dad's been busy as well. He's cleaned off and redone the steering wheel and the dash face plate. He'll be building all the goodies to hold the seats once I get the deck and sides done. That's it for now, I'll take some better interior pix once the floor and sides are done.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

The restorations continue... my dad took some pictures of the pieces he's been working on cleaning them up and painting them. He took a severely cracked steering wheel and housing, cleaned them down to the bone, primed and epoxy painted the wheel. It looks brand new, still has some cracks in it, but hey, you would too if you were over 50 years old. Ha. He used Rustoleum Hammer Finish spray paint to paint the housing that holds the wheel to the dash, that too turned out great. I can't wait to start putting all this back together.

This weekend's project is to finish up all the interior fiber glass work so that we can tow the boat over to my dad's place so that he can start working on the seats.

On a side note, we'll be picking up our Electromatic 40hp Johnson motor tomorrow, pretty excited about that. Pictures to follow.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Just one question. Where can I get shorts like those?

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Get in your car and head to your nearest Sears. You might even be able to get yourself a good deal now that it's the end of the season! Ha!

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

So we moved a little further along this weekend. Got the front end of the deck glassed in, the center section is all that remains. I will be towing the boat over to my dad's garage so that he can work on the seat platform on the front. The rear bench seat won't have anything underneath, just a center support then glassing the platforms in to the deck.

I brought home our new motor yesterday. I picked up a 40 hp Johnson Electromatic, found it on Craig's List for $125. The PO said that he had bought it to put on his boat but his wife decided that they should buy something new, so, we needed to get rid of it. He bought it in July and said he saw it running. I'm taking him at his word, no reason not to, so I hope that I can get it fired up myself.

I put it onto the transom to check it out and it brought up a couple of questions. When I rebuilt the transom, I used 2 sheets of 3/4" ply, glued and glassed it all in. As you can see, I've put an additional piece of 3/4" pine in between the transom and the clamp so I didn't mess up my glass work.

My question is, before I put the final touches on the transom, should I add another layer of 3/4" ply to it to beef it up more or is my 1 1/2" good enough. I've seen guys add a cap made from metal sheeting to either side of the transom as well... should I do that? Or both? I have enough room in the clamp to do both.

Can some one help me with this?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Your 1.5" is more than enough to handle that motor. Project's looking great.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Your 1.5" is more than enough to handle that motor. Project's looking great.

Wooohooo! I was hoping you'd say that. What about the metal, do I need that? Or maybe just a cap at the top of the transom?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

The ply transom should be completely glassed, if you used resin without glass it (resin) will crack and the ply will get wet.

Also grind the air bubbles off and re-glass over them,

the cloth doesn't look heavy enough, could just be the pic...

but I'd go back and do a minimum of 3 layers tabbing the transom to the hull. each layer being wider than the previous to spread the load from the transom onto the hull.

If you are using waxed resin you'll need to sand the wax off before the next coat goes on.

If its unwaxed resin just a wipe with acetone will be ok.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

The ply transom should be completely glassed, if you used resin without glass it (resin) will crack and the ply will get wet.

Also grind the air bubbles off and re-glass over them,

the cloth doesn't look heavy enough, could just be the pic...

but I'd go back and do a minimum of 3 layers tabbing the transom to the hull. each layer being wider than the previous to spread the load from the transom onto the hull.

If you are using waxed resin you'll need to sand the wax off before the next coat goes on.

If its unwaxed resin just a wipe with acetone will be ok.

You are correct, there is more work to happen yet on the transom that's why I was asking the question about beefing the transom up before I moved forward. I've got all the things necessary to complete the glassing especially now that I know that the 1.5" thickness will suffice. Trust me... there will be more than enough glassing going on. The last thing I want to see is my motor going to the bottom, us along with it! I can see the look on my wife's face already.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

cool project! Your transom is the same thickness as mine and I have a 150hp You will be FINE. Just heed jones advice on the glass job!

 

[mattsmall1972]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

I just saw your thread for the first time tonight. Nice boat, I think it looks like the Batboat. I don't know if you have already sent your parts off to be rechromed, but there's a product I was eyeing a few years back for my motorcycle parts. It's called CopyChrome from Caswell Plating. It's a DIY chroming kit for about $200. They have a few different kits depending on your needs. http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/index.html I've never done it myself so I can't tell you how easy or difficult it is, or well it works, but it may be a good alternative to the expensive chroming shops.

 

[joza]

Re: Joza's 1957(?) Red Fish Restoration

Well I thought it was time for a Red Fish update.

Over the weekend I towed the boat over to my parents house so that my dad could work on the seats. The picture attached to this post is in the very early stages of the back seat. I will undoubtedly have more pictures tonight as I'm making a tool delivery.

Once the seat framework is completed, the major work will be done for the season. There's some wiring and other miscellaneous things that can be done though before the snow flies.

I bid on and won a set of controls for my Johnson Electramatic though. They should be arriving soon. I'm all giddy in anticipation to hook that bad boy up and see if it runs. Keep your fingers crossed.

The $$$ tally so far:
Boat, 20hp motor, controls and trailer (Craig's List) - $250
Paint (trailer) - $25
Lights (trailer) - $35
Trailer Jack - $40
Trailer Tires - $50
Plywood and other wood for deck and transom - $100
Misc. chrome pieces (won on ebay, including shipping) - $75
Resin, cloth and other assorted goodies for glassing - $175
40hp Johnson Electramatic Outboard - $125 (Craig's List)
Electramatic Controls - $85 (ebay, including shipping)
Interior lights, switches, bilge pump - $85 (iboats.com)
Beer - $Uh... no comment

MINUS $100 for the sale of the 20hp Johnson and controls

Total - $860

Not too bad, I'd say.

Note: the wood for all the seats will essentially be free, we're using leftovers from either the boat or other projects. All the wood will be sealed with resin before it's all said and done.


The other picture here are a couple of passengers eagerly awaiting the completion of this project. Our youngest daughter and one of our dogs, Goose.